GZ illness kills more than 9/11 attacks

More people are believed to have died from 9/11-related illnesses than those killed in the terror attacks, the Justice Department and its Victims Compensation Fund have acknowledged.

There were 2,996 victims killed on 9/11, while federal statistics show that 3,311 people enrolled in the CDC’s World Trade Center Health Program have died, although the agency doesn’t cite an exact cause of death.

“It is . . . sobering to see that more people are now believed to have died of 9/11-related illnesses than were lost on September 11, 2001,” the VCF wrote in its 20th anniversary “special report” on Sept. 7.

The VCF has issued $8.95 billion in compensation to 9/11 survivors and victims’ families, according to the report, which notes a “fairly significant increase” in claims filed by survivors in recent years, 48 percent of whom have cancer.

About 10,000 emergency personnel and civilians rely on the VCF to cover the cost of their serious health issues caused by exposure to carcinogens and other toxins from the attacks, according to advocates for Ground Zero first responders.

The Victims Compensation Act was extended in 2019 after cancer-stricken retired NYPD Detective Luis Alvarez gave emotional testimony before Congress pushing for the move. He died shortly after testifying.

The extension will ensure that all eligible claims will be paid until the deadline of Oct. 1, 2090.

The FDNY was the first-responder organization hardest hit by 9/11, with 343 killed at the World Trade Center and 253 later dying of illnesses.